Rahul Gandhi says Pegasus a tool to silence voice of youth

Addressing a 'Sansad Gehrao' protest organised here by the Indian Youth Congress, he also targeted the prime minister on the issue of employment and said till the time Modi remains PM India's youth will not get jobs as he has partnership with some big businessmen and not the poor and the youth. 

Talking about the Pegasus snooping controversy, he said the government has said it is a small issue and wondered why the Congress party and the entire opposition are raising it. 

''Your mobile phone is your voice. You should understand that Narendra Modi has put the idea of Pegasus in the mobile phone of every youth of India, not just in my phone. The idea is that if you speak the truth, Narendra Modi and Pegasus are there in your phones,'' he said. 

''India's youth has to understand that the way their voice, farmers' voice is suppressed and the voice of those who talk of unemployment is suppressed...Pegasus is a way to silence the voice of people. But no one can suppress the voice of the youth of India,'' he told the gathering. 

He urged the Congress youth wing to work towards uniting and strengthening the voice of all those who are not happy with this government and the Pegasus snooping issue. 

''The work of Youth Congress is to strengthen the voice of India's youth. You should open the doors of Youth Congress to anyone who is unhappy with Narendra Modi, Pegasus and 'hum do, hamare do sarkar'. You should raise the voice of those who are not finding employment and a future for themselves,'' he said. 

Gandhi said that in Lok Sabha the opposition is holding placards, but the Lok Sabha television does not show them and is hiding the truth from the country. 

''Narendra Modi's work is to hide and suppress the truth of India. He is doing this to serve only two-three industrialists,'' the former Congress chief alleged. 

He also alleged that the media is not allowed to talk of India's unemployment and its truth and said the news of the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in the national capital was also suppressed. ''What is their aim. It is to suppress the voice of the youth -- in colleges, universities, on the roads. Because they know that the day India's youth starts speaking the truth, the same day this government will cease to be,'' he said. 

Gandhi said the youth should understand why they are not getting employment as jobs are provided by small businesses and shopkeepers, mid-size businessman and not the big industrialists. The Modi government is finishing off unorganised businesses, small and medium businesses who provide the jobs. 

The Narendra Modi government is with only two-three big businessmen and wants that small businesses should hand over everything to them. 

''Today this country is not able to provide employment because of Narendra Modi. Till Narendra Modi is prime minister and 'hum do, hamare do (we two, ours two) sarkar' is there, till then India will not get employment,'' the Congress leader alleged. 

Gandhi said this is the fight for the future of India's youth and they should understand that the will not get jobs in the next few years if India keeps moving on this path. 

''You will not be able to help your children, your parents, because Narendra Modi has made a partnership and it is not with India's youth, the poor and small and mid-size businesses. The partnership is between Narendra Modi and 2-3 big businessmen and this partnership is attacking the soul of India and the future of the youth. That's why Narendra Modi does not talk of employment, because his partnership is with someone else,'' he said. 

Referring to Modi's pre-poll promise of providing two crore jobs every year to the youth, Gandhi said he could not do so even in seven years. Instead jobs of lakhs and crores of youths were snatched away, he alleged. 

Several Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Saktisinh Gohil and IYC chief B V Srinivas, were present at the gathering. 

The opposition has been attacking the government over the Pegasus issue and accusing it of spying. The ruling party has said the Pegasus controversy was attempt by hostile forces to malign the country.